Little Falls transcript., 1887-05-27
The Drummer.

The Drummer.
The drummer is among the more
modern human curiosities. although he
is entitled to a prominent position in
that class. The specimen before you
was caught with lasso, and though
somewhat discontented, he proves
more or less interesting to the collec-
ton. may say he is rather beneficial
as he entertains the other specimens
when not on exhibition.
The drummer is a clerk with an
itjnerant commission. He may clerk
one day thousand of miles from where
he clerked the day before. 1t takes "A
man with rowing disposition to make
good drummer. He spends most of
his time on the railroad, and carries
his store along with him wherever he
goes. He may be small man, but he
is always large enough to occupy a
whole seat, and not unfrequently two
OF them and part of the aisle, together
with all the bundle-rack in reach. The
drummer carries more baggage than a
tirst-class theater troupe. He wants it
all passed free, and growels because he
does not get reduced rates on the rail
road for himself He always charges
the house for which he travels full
rates, however.
The drummer is also a hotel tiend.
He always stops at the best hotel in
town, and seldom fails to growl about
the fare. A drummer is generally hum
cry; whether he was born hungry or
not, he soon contracts an appetite in
the business. Drummer and hunger
seem to be synonymous. The amount
thing almost phenomenal. The hotel
steward has two meat orders-one reg
ular and the drummer order. The lat
ter is double the former Most drum
mers have weakness for beefsteak and
onions. Almost all of this class live
high, eat the best the market affords if
they can get it. drink good liquor,
smoke ten cent cigars, or three for a
quarter at the lowest, and attend the
theatre every night they are not on the
railroad. All these expenses are class
ed under the general head Of necessi-
ties, when reported to the house for
which they travel. The first thing
a drummer learns is how to classify all
his expenses under the one general
head OF necessary travelling expenses.
The drummer likes good story. He
has been known to postpone calling on
a customer until the next day, and
thereby miss sale in order to patron
ize q story teller. He is pretty we'll up
in storytelling himself, and not unfre-
queQtly carries as big an assortment
with him as he does of goods. When a
drummer gets good, fresh "Selr' he
lays business cares aside until he has
given all the others of his profession in
the hotel a chance to ''bite' ut it, If
anything does drummer's soul good it
is. to ''selp' one of his profession.
When he can accomplish this he feels so
happy that he puts his valise behind the
counter, goes out and gets a drink, or
probably two of them, buys Havana
cigar, comes back to the hotel, and
charges the firm two dollars for neces-
sary expenses.
This specimen is great admirer of
the ladies. He usually has what he
calls his ''mash'' in almost every town
on his route. The ladies not unfrc-
quentiy give valuable assistance to the
drummer in augmenting his necessary
eXpense-account. On the other hand,
it may very truthfully be said that the
drummer is very popular with the Ia
dies, or certain class of them This
is accounted for from the fact that they
always dress we'll and have their ex-
penses paid by the firm. A drummer
is not stingy with the firms money. 1t
is necessary for him to be liberal in or
der to sustain the reputation of the
house.
Drummers are clannish. They all
stop at the same hotel. AS they are
a good advertising medium for a hotel,
they generally get the best the house
affords. At such hotel all the front
rooms are reserved for the drummers
and the parlors for the sample rooms.
They are given the best table in the
dining-room, and take possession of the
best easy chairs in the Office In fact,
they have large capacity for absorb
ing hotel. and rarely fail to exercise it.
He is tolerated because he pays we'll.
or the house does for him. n hotel
could not afford to mistreat drum
mer, and drummer could not carry
on business without the hotel. --Edwurd
Warren, IN Chicago Ledger.